I’m supposed to have thrown the political switch for J’accuse and settled down for a little sabbatical. At most you were supposed to have heard from us with a little travel blogging – and for that purpose I have purchased a nifty little app called “Path” to chronicle our journey when we Go West. Instead, as I sit at the mac trying to put some order to my iTunes playlists and fill the ipods/ipads/iphones with enough music to kill any sense of tediousness during our flights/drives the mind wanders and there you go… I stumble on a Times article that provokes a reaction.
There they sat in the photo – Dr Michael Falzon (PL Home Affairs) and Joe Mizzi (PL Whip) under a billboard with the word “għaqal” splattered across. The article’s title “From Midnight Express, to Corradino Express – PL demands action in prisons” and it was all about how the government is getting the whole Correctional Facility business wrong although the two seem to have stopped short of calling for someone’s head (Tonio Borg’s in this case). Now those who have Labour to heart will once again call this site a PN sympathiser or what have you but yes, I still see something wrong with this picture and let me tell you what that is.
I see two Labour spokespersons capitalising on a court case (the Bickle Prison Queen) and trying to get political mileage on the strength of the “blame the government” idea. What’s wrong with that? Nothing, I agree, on the face of it. The thing is that the “demands for action” are once again rather futile pie in the sky demands. “Hemm bzonn naghmlu xi haga”. Sure we can crack jokes about Midnight Express and the obscene levels of permissiveness at Corradino but the problem – I am sure you will agree – probably does not lie with government. I am also prepared to bet that left to their own devices wardens and prisoners will still be up to no good if Michael Falzon were in Tonio Borg’s shoes.
Then there’s another thing. Our prisons are crowded with all types of offenders. Among them are people who have been sent to jail for cannabis related offences. I wonder whether Michael Falzon and Joe Mizzi joined the dots on that one. Did they have anything to say about the possible effects of decriminalisation of softer drugs?
It’s not just Labour politicians who will shy away from tackling this particular bull by the horns. Sure, every politician will nibble at some facile arguments – and condemning the state of affairs at Corradino is facile… who would not agree after all? My question is what are Labour’s policies on correction, drugs, rehabilitation, decriminalisation and similar issues that have an incidence on the current state of affairs.
Don’t hold your breath if you are waiting for an answer. They’re too busy condemning anything linkable to “il-gvern” to even bother about what they would do to solve the problem. It’s Midnight Express… another word for darkness falling at the speed of light.
In un paese pieno di coglioni, ci mancano le palle.
P.S. Even Franco Debono MP seems to have more ideas (agree with him or not) than the whole party in opposition (see here)
